psychologist not helpful

[anuama4]

Hi , my son 11 y old was diagnosed with adhd and as per school recommendations we took him to a psychologist. After full assessment he confirmed that its adhd and also added reading dyslexia, Then he released the information to us and he is not setting us any follow up and what to do next. what should I do next ? Any advise

[Onthemove1971]

Ask for a new psychologist....You will need a follow up visit and he doesn't sound like that is in his card..

The next few steps can really help your child and up!

Good luck

[ASLCODATerp]

We have had that experience before. So unhelpful! Sometimes you need to just go out and find what you need, unfortunately. We have used a psychiatrist to help manage the medication side of things.

We have also educated ourselves through resources on the internet like this forum, “Lives in the Balance”(Ross Green), and “Tilt Parenting”. Also there is a lot of awesome recent research and books that have come out about kids with adhd.

As well, there are online resources and books dealing with executive function. YouTube channel vlog by Seth Perler comes to mind. “How to ADHD” is a channel on YouTube with lots of good videos.

And there are many adhd parent coaches out there who can get you started as well. Insurance sometimes pays for coaching.

The school counselor is another resource to getting your child accommodations in school. You can request a meeting to talk about eligibility for an Individual Education Plan. If they come back and say you do not qualify, ask about a 504 plan.

It is a long road, and we feel very frustrated and tired sometimes. But remember to take it one day at a time and you will get the answers you need. You are awesome! Best wishes!

[Peerandparent]

A good starting point for your own education is "Driven to distraction", which is the ADHD bible in some respect. There's also a LONG video on YouTube by Barkley offering tips to parents.

So, a psychologist's job often begins and ends with the assessment. The diagnosis can be taken to their school and their doctor so discussion can start with respect to treatment and accomodation.

Educating yourselves (and that includes your son) will help you prepare for the advocacy, decision making and change in perspective you'll need moving forward.

A key thing for your son may be in separating what's behaviour and habit and what's ADHD. This is not to make ADHD a scapegoat for the things he does, but rather as a guide to help him figure out HOW to be accountable and take responsibility. For example, when forgetting something, ADHD is likely part of the cause. The solution is in finding tools to help him remember (e.g. phone reminders, visual reminders in his personal space, notebook) rather than what was my default for a long time (self-recriminaton, "trying harder", memory exercises, rationalizing away the mistake)

The tough battle ahead is acknowledging the impact of ADHD and dyslexia and finding tools to accomodate rather than trying to use brute force to solve the problem. He'll need to rely heavily on his strengths and on the support of the people around him, especially in helping him come to terms with how ADHD fits with his identity.

[anirush]

Psychologists just diagnose. You need to take the information to a pediatric psychiatrist and also look for a counselor skilled in ADHD